The present invention relates to a braking control device particularly usable for skates.
In conventional roller skates, whether constituted by a shoe associated with a support for two pairs of wheels arranged parallel to each other or by a shoe associated with a supporting frame for two or more in-line wheels, there is currently the problem of braking the wheels in order to adjust the skate speed.
It is known to use adapted pads or blocks, usually made of rubber, which are arranged at the toe or heel region of the shoe; when the user tilts the shoe forward or backward, the free end of the pads or blocks interacts with the ground and braking is thus achieved.
However, these conventional devices have the drawback that it is necessary to tilt the shoe, lifting the wheels off the ground, and this can entail loss of balance, especially for beginners of this sports activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,070, in the name of this same Applicant, discloses a braking device, particularly for skates comprising a shoe composed of a quarter articulated to a shell in turn associated with a supporting frame for two or more in-line wheels, having the characteristic of comprising one or more rod members associated, at one end, laterally to the quarter and simultaneously rotatably associated with the quarter and/or with the shell.
The rod members have, at their other end, means for connection to the pivot of one of the wheels, these means being slideable with respect to the frame towards the adjacent wheels, so as to allow braking at the wheels when the quarter is moved backward.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,469 discloses a braking device compring a traction element, such as a rod or cable, connecting the quarter to a braking element that interacts with the wheels.
In this case, too, when the quarter is rotated forward or backward, the braking element is actuated, for example by means of the rod or cable, and interacts for example directly with the rolling surface of the wheels.
The above devices are similar in that the action of the braking device applies directly at the wheels: this can entail drawbacks, because the intensity of the force applied by the user to the braking elements to achieve effective braking is determined by the inclination the user gives to the quarter and depends on many factors, such as the roughness of the ground, the weight of the user and the kind of wheel.
Accordingly, in the above devices the wheel or wheels often lock upon braking and this entails uneven wear of the surface thereof.
The friction occurring for example between the wheel and any block interacting therewith completely locks the rotation of the wheel, and the friction between the wheels and the ground is converted from rolling friction to sliding friction; since the terrain over which the wheel travels is usually highly abrasive and rough, locking during braking causes localized wear of the wheel in the region of contact, thus "flattening" the wheel and forming substantially flat regions along the outer circumference of the wheel which, in addition to causing very quick and uneven wear of the wheel, compromise the stability and balance of the skate and of the user.